Power-operated bottle opener



Patented Sept. 30, 1952 Z,6l2..t65

PGWER-OPEEATED BOTTLE OPENER,

Donald H. Packer-and Peter'R;. George, Toledo, Ohio; said George assignor to saidPacker ApplicationNovember is, 1948, Serial No. 60,682

Claims.

This invention relates to dispensing, from containers, and more particularly to releasing and positively removing flanged disk type of sealing caps. from liquid containing bottles.

This invention has utility when incorporated in a grab or multiple jaw type of grapple in a power actuated device for pull-oil and release in decapping bottles, .wherein there is an inward gripping at the bottle top lip under side by a fluted or corrugated rim orvflange of a closure disk. In accordance with the invention, this depending bent. flange is caught at spaced points while its center is pulled upward and held for the-engaged portions to be flared outwardly and thus have the bottle closure positively pulled clear of the container. The pulled-cit flanged disk closure as thus distorted clear of the bottle, is then ejected from the tool, as the decapper is automatically reset fora repetition of the operation cycle, effected by'merely thrusting the next cap-closed bottle upward to effect electric'switch closing.

Referring: to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front view of an embodiment of the invention incorporated in a unit adapted to be mounted on a wall;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the unit of Fig. 1, with the cover or shield removed and portions broken away;

Fig. 3 is afragmentary view of the grapple features ofFi'g. 2, with connected portions, shown as in thrown position;

Fig. 4 is a detail of frame-carried portions between the grapples, showing' in dotted lines the ejected bottle-cap; and

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of the frame-carried portions of Fig. 3 and showing a portion of one of the grapples.

Advantageously, there may be selected a wall location I for bolts 2 to anchor an embodiment of the unit, say as equipped with an advertising display or sign 3. Under such circumstances this sign 3 may have to do with the source of the beverage or other item being dispensed, or may be adapted to variations or changes as the dispenser may deem appropriate.

The bolts 2v extend thru openings 3 in a frame 4 of laminated pole pieces for an electro-magnet or solenoid having a winding 5. Non-magnetic jacket portions 6 are provided for a core '5, with a spring 8 efiective normally to locate the core l downward with its heads toward a diaphragm IO. A switch operating bar l I is normally down- Ward as held by a spring 12 to be clear of a plunger E3 of a micro type switch l4. Upon lifting of the barl l against the resistance of the spring l2, the switch I4 is closed and for such interval, the coil or winding 5 is energized and thesign 3 illuminated. The solenoid core I is then lifted.

The head 9 of the core I has a non-magnetic rocker I5 with a pivotal connection It thereto. The head 9 has an arcuate lower face ll as clearance for the rocker 15 to shift in its holding of a pair of grapples or jaws l8, it), having pivotal connections 2i] with the. rocker i5" adjacent opposite ends of the rocker l5. Openings 2 are centrally in the diaphragm Hi and are adjacent opposite sides of a seat 22 complementary to a disk type bottle cap 23 having a. depending'am nular corrugated or fluted flange 24, in providing a seal as engaginga lip 25"for the neck: of a bottle 26' in forming a closure therefor.

As. toward eachother and adjacent the rocker it, the. jaws l8, l9, have guide stems forming seats H for a compressible helical spring 28. The lower or free ends. of the jaws 18, it, have arcuate seat portions 29 concave toward each other and normally given yieldable spread by the compression spring 28;

The'outward throw of the jaws I8, I91, as swinging away from each other in the openings 2! in the diaphragm Ill, is adjustably. limited by set screws 30 thru depending internally threaded lugs 31 from the diaphragm It. Thesev screws 39 may, have polygonal recesses 32 at their outer. ends permitting screw adjustment to act upon the lever jaws it; IQ, for wear take-up, as well as initial settin for the run of caps 23, 2.4, to be removed. The. sealed bottle which has its cap thrust upward. centrally of. the pair of. opposing arcuate portionsof the. seat, has the. disk central portion of the seal or closure 23 against the bar Hi. It does not require muchpressure to. lift this switch bar H and operate the switch it,

while-the disk 23. of. the cap is against a central projection 3.3 providing a guide. for the barv H.

The jaw. arm. is is guided by thecpening 2! to register with the adjustable tapered tip of a set screw 39, at the initialor idle position for the device; thatis, withthe core'l down or de-enengized. as to the solenoid coil. 5. At this. position ofithe arm 18, it has a cam or lug 3 3 in position to ride against the tip ofthe screw 38 as the core li ascends to pull the arm 18 therewith. This causes the seatiziiv to ride toward the neck 0fthe bottle 2'6andlod'ge in coacting relation with the underside of the flange 24 as hanging over the lip 25. This action of the cam M-is against'the outward'thrust of thespring 28.

Simultaneously with the ascent of the jaw arm l8, the arm I9 also rises. A cam portion 35 on the arm l9, causes the seat 29 to ride toward the bottle 2% and coact with the opposite side of the cap seal flange 24 to that engaged by the seat 29 of the arm 18. The fact that the arms I8, I53, have the rockable connection i 5, IS, with the core 7, provides an automatic compensation for some range of bottle diameters. In fact the general yield elements as herein disclosed is such that the inward throw of the seat 29 is not sufficient to develop any bottle-fracture hazard.

The energizing of the coil of the solenoid, in practice, gives a quick action in the upward pull effected through the core i. In this transit, the cam 34 holds the jaw seat 29 of the arm IS in engaging position with the flange 26 for being outwardly flared as the lug or projection 33 holds the disk central portion downward relatively thereto. However, as to the arm 18, the cam 35 is of less lineal extent than the cam 34, and the compression spring 28 tends to shift the seat 29 of the arm l9 clear of the already to some-extent flared flange 2d of the bottle cap or crown seal. 29 of the arm [9 is made more positive thru coaction with the inner end of the opening 2! by a cam 36 below the cam 35 and on the opposite side of the arm is, as well as above the seat 29 to be clear of the cap 23, 24. From this position for the arm iii, the bottle 26 which had been snugly pulled and initially held against the projection 33, is now released and as taken by the dispenser clear of the decapper unit or device, the spring [2, thrust end portion 37 of the bar H to kick the distorted cap 33 clear of the seat 22, as the coil 5 is ale-energized thru the bar Ii opening the switch M. The deenergizing of the coil 5, allows the spring 8 to move the arms i8, i9, downward for the arms to be spread and the seat 28 of the arm 18 to move outwardly to their initial position. There is accordingly quick operation in clearing the decapper unit from the removed disk type of bottle seal as removed from the bottle. The dispenser, accordingly, without other effort than to locate the sealed bottle in sufilcient proximity to the unit, is now to have such seal unseated by thrusting the end portion 37 of the switch bar H into position to close the switch M. The operation occurs with such speed that the dispenser should retain hold of the bottle and quickly clear the decapped bottle from the unit as the sign is off, for then the removed closure or cap is popped out clear of the device.

Adjustable legs 39 give supplemental adjustment range for the jaws of the unit in varying the location or spacing of the diaphragm it from the electromagnet.

What is claimed and it is desired to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A sealed closure remover for wherein the closure is a peripherally flanged disk, said remover comprising a seat having a central projection, a switch operating bar mounted in proximity to the seat for movement relatively to the seat, a spring normally thrusting the bar to extend beyond the projection in the seat whereby a sealing disk inserted in the seat will shift the bar against the action of the spring, a switch adapted to be closed by the movement of the bar by the disk, there being a circuit from the switch including a solenoid coil, a core actuable by the coil, a pair of arms, at least one thereof mounted for movement relatively to the coil, said arms This outward movement of the seat 1 container each having opposing jaw seats at their free ends, spring means normally coasting between the coil and core to shift the core to inactive position as to the coil with the arms spread laterally from the Seat, guide means adjustably mounted relatively to the coil and coacting to direct the arms to respond to core movement to swing into engaging position to pull the disk flange opposite portions to tend to dish the disk at the projection in the seat, said guide means including a throw out for one of the jaw seats, whereby the switch operating bar spring will then thrust the deformed flanged disk clear of the seat.

2. A bottle decapper for removing crimped crown caps from bottles, said decapper comprising a frame, a cap receiving seat at the bottom of the frame, power means in the top of the frame, said power means including an operating shaft, power control means fixed to the frame near the seat, an actuator bar for the control means, said bar slidably located within the seat and adapted to be shifted by insertion of a cap into the seat, a coil spring around the bar biasing the bar away from the control means, a pair of opposing grapples pivotally fastened to the operating shaft, guide means on the frame adjacent the seat for directing the grapples into engagement with the skirt edge of the cap for releasably deforming the cap skirt upon upward movement of the operating shaft, one grapple including a cam surface directed toward the seat whereby further upward movement of said shaft will cause said one grapple to be released from cap engagement and the action of said coil spring upon the actuating bar will eject the cap from said seat.

3. A bottle decapper for removing crimped crown caps from bottles, said decapper comprising a frame, a cap receiving seat at the bottom of the frame, power means in the top of the frame, said power means including an operating shaft, power control means fixed to the frame near the seat, an actuator bar for the control means, said bar being slidably located within the seat and adapted to be shifted by insertion of a cap into the seat, actuating means locating inactive position of the bar away from the control means, a pair of opposing grapples pivotally fastened to the operating shaft, guide means on the frame adjacent the seat for directing the grapples into engagement with the skirt edge of the cap for releasably deforming the cap skirt upon upward movement of the operating shaft, one grapple including a cam surface directed toward the seat whereby further upward movement of said shaft will cause said one grapple to be released from cap engagement and the action of said actuating means upon the actuating bar will eject the cap from said seat.

i. A decapper comprising a frame, a plunger reciprocally mounted in the frame, actuator means for reciprocating the plunger, said frame providing a seat for a cap, a pair of opposing arms pivotally connected to the plunger, said frame providing guide means coasting with and to direct the arms in one direction of plunger movement to engage and distort a cap at the seat, additional means connected to one of said arms and coacting with said frame for moving said one arm away from said cap on continued movement of said plunger to permit release of the distorted cap.

5. A decapper comprising a frame providing a seat for a cap to be removed, adjustable guide means in proximity to the seat, a plunger in and movable relatively to the frame, power means for reciprocating the plunger, said plunger having a rocker at one end thereof, and a pair of relatively swingable arms mounted on the rocker and directed by said guide means in response to movement of the plunger in one direction of reciprocation to distort a cap at the seat, and means reacting against said arms, when said arms are moved in the other direction of reciprocation by the plunger, to spread said arms for insertion of a succeeding cap.

DONALD H. PACKER.

PETER R. GEORGE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Arnold May 3, 1921 Fischer Apr. 14, 1936 Kretchman Sept. 10, 1945 Malen t Oct. 11, 1949 

